Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

 

 

 Out of the box, the Nintendo Switch is a remarkably functional game system thanks to its Joy-Con controllers. They're a pair of wireless gamepads that can attach to the Switch's sides for portable use, or be held separately when the Switch is docked and connected to a TV or sitting on a table. They also form a good approximation of a conventional gamepad with the included Joy-Con Grip, though they don't feel quite as solid as a one-piece gamepad like the Xbox One Wireless Controller

For that experience you need to get the optional $69.99 Nintendo Switch Pro Controller. Like the Wii U Pro Controller before it, it provides a satisfyingly familiar gameplay experience that you don't quite get out of box. $70 for a controller is pretty pricey ($10 more than the standard Xbox One or PlayStation 4 wireless controllers), but it's also $10 less than getting another pair of Joy-Cons.

Design

The Pro Controller feels very solid in the hands, comparable with the Xbox One's gamepad in size and just a hair heavier at 8.3 ounces (the Xbox One controller is 8 ounces with two AA batteries). If you tried to identify the two solely by their outline, you'd think they were the same. This means the Pro Controller is pleasingly dense, if not quite as rock-solid as the 12.3-ounce, $150 Xbox Elite Wireless Controller$149.00 at Amazon. The Pro Controller is currently only available in black, with matte black grips and a translucent black shell over the controls.
Like the Wii U Pro Controller, the Switch Pro uses an Xbox-style button configuration, with the two analog sticks offset rather than parallel from each other. A digital direction pad sits just below and to the right of the left analog stick, and four face buttons (A/B/X/Y) sit just above and to the right of the right analog stick. Small, round capture, home, plus, and minus buttons sit between them, arranged around a Nintendo Switch logo. The top of the gamepad holds two shoulder buttons on each side (L/ZL and R/ZR), a USB-C port for charging, an indicator LED that shows when the gamepad is plugged in, and a small pairing button. The bottom of the gamepad holds four status LEDs that show it's connected and which player it's set to.
According to Nintendo, the Pro Controller can last up to 40 hours between charges. A five-foot USB-C cable is included, and you can easily plug it into a USB port on the Switch Dock.

 

More Than Buttons

The Switch Pro Controller is packed with most of the various tricks Nintendo put in each pair of Joy-Cons; the only difference between them is that you can't split the Pro Controller into two halves like the left and right Joy-Cons.
The gamepad features motion controls, HD rumble, and Amiibo functionality (the Switch logo is an NFC zone, and works with both Amiibos and Skylanders figures), like the Joy-Cons. The motion sensors work very well, and I could easily target enemy weak points in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild$59.99 at Amazon. The controller lacks the right Joy-Con's infrared camera, but that feature seems very specifically designed for motion-based games where your hands are separate and not gripping a single controller.